Welcome to One-to-One Week 40. This week our focus is Four Stages of Spiritual Growth: Explorer, Believer, Disciple, Spirit-Led! We will cover each of the stages starting today with “Explorer,” moving to “Believer” tomorrow, “Disciple” on day three, and “Spirit-Led” on day four. Then as usual we will move to Application Projects on days five through seven. I was introduced to the Four Stages of Spiritual Growth, in a book titled, Move, which came out of an extensive study by the Willowcreek Church, in Chicago, Illinois. The purpose of the study was to determine whether folks were growing in their walk of faith in Jesus Christ. The study determined many things, including four distinguishable “stages” of spiritual growth. While the folks at Willowcreek used different titles for the four stages, they are the same stages as we will investigate this week.

Let’s begin with the “Explorer” stage. Explorers believe there is a God, and are open to the idea Jesus may be God, but have not yet trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord. We could add an additional “stage,” but it isn’t a stage of spiritual growth. That stage is the non-believer, non-interested stage. This group, which includes atheists and agnostics, is made up of folks who are either uninterested in or openly antagonistic toward the idea God exists. Explorers often end up in churches seeking to determine whether what churches offer is real. Those in this group are looking to the church to help them develop a personal relationship with Jesus; to present compelling worship experiences; to offer a feeling of belonging; to help them understand the Bible in greater depth; and to have church leaders model and consistently reinforce how to grow spiritually. As you and I have grown in our own faith in Jesus Christ, we were once at this stage. You may be there now. The key for those in the Explorer stage is to make the movement to being a Believer as soon as possible. While no one ought to be manipulated to make this step, which is a giant step of faith, the longer an Explorer waits to make the step, the less likely it is he or she will ever become a believer. In fact, the folks at Willowcreek discovered if someone continues to participate in a local church for more than five years without taking this vital step from Explorer to Believer it is unlikely he or she ever will. Church participation may continue to be a part of the person’s life or habits, but a meaningful relationship with Jesus will not.

A key Scripture for Explorers is Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:9-10 (NLT) 9If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10 (NLT) The basic and most important belief we must hold in order to move from Explorers to Believers is the belief that Jesus Christ is Lord, that is “owner” or master of our lives, and that God demonstrated this to be so by raising Jesus from the dead. After all, if Jesus rose from the dead, every other claim He made makes sense, and all the miracles of the Bible seem possible. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then He is not Lord and His claims are not true. It is that serious for us to understand Christianity is not a religion, a humanly designed system whereby we seek to define and please the “deity” through our efforts. Christianity is a relationship with the living God of the universe, in and through Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Today’s application is simple: determine whether you are an Explorer, or whether you have moved on from Explorer to Believer or one of the other stages of spiritual growth. If you are an Explorer, I encourage you to read Romans 10:9-10 and to consider the statement carefully. Are you willing, right now, to take the step of faith and transfer ownership of your life to Jesus Christ? If so, then ask Him to be Your Lord, confess He is and step into the belief that God raised Him for the dead. It takes faith to believe that truth, but you don’t have to be gullible to have such faith. The evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is extensive, both in the Bible and in extra-biblical sources. For today, the key is to determine whether you are an Explorer, and if so, whether you’re ready to take the next step. If you’re a Believer or beyond, then use this material to help you encourage an Explorer to take a next step!

Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus to bring salvation to the world. Fill me with the Holy Spirit that I may believe the truth of that salvation practically every moment of my life. This I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.